HMS Albion (L14) is one of the Navy’s two amphibious assault ships with a single aim: to deliver the punch of the Royal Marines ashore by air and by sea.

The role of HMS Albion & HMS Bulwark is that of a Landing Platform Dock Ship, to deliver the punch of the Royal Marines ashore by air and by sea, with boats from the landing dock in the belly of the ship and by assault helicopter from the two-spot flight deck. LPDs can carry 256 troops, with their vehicles and combat supplies, and this can be swollen up to 405 troops.

The vehicle deck has a capacity for up to 6 Challenger tanks or around 30 armoured all-terrain tracked vehicles. There is a floodable well dock able to take 4 utility landing craft. These vessels do not have a hanger but have equipment needed to support aircraft operations. The Assault ships have a single aim to deliver the punch of the Royal Marines ashore by air and by sea.

Some Facts:

Length of both ships, 176metresTop speed of 18 knotsA nautical range of 8000 Nautical Miles

Weapons & Equipment:

PHALANXCLOSE-IN WEAPON SYSTEM

Phalanx is one of the deadly last lines of defence for Britain’s warships. Capable of engaging targets around one mile away, it is a radar-controlled Gatling gun which fires 20mm shells, spewing out 3,000 rounds a minute.

Designed to engage incoming enemy aircraft and missiles if they penetrated a ship or task group’s outer ring of defences such as Sea Viper or Sea Dart.

During Operation Telic, Phalanx guns were removed from ships and used to defend Basra airport, the hub of British operations,they saw extensive action against incoming rockets and mortars fired by insurgents.

GUNNERY – SMALL CALIBRE GUNS

All warships carry small-calibre such as SA80, General Purpose Machine Gun and 9mm guns for use against both surface and airborne targets.

Unlike the majority of the ships weapons systems, these guns are not radar and computer controlled, but aimed and fired by the upper deck gun crews. The weapons range in calibre and complexity.